


Starting Anew

by ColoradoPeculiar



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Love Confessions, Mild Hurt/Comfort, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Post-Reveal Pre-Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Sorting out feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 07:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColoradoPeculiar/pseuds/ColoradoPeculiar
Summary: Ladybug had known getting together with Luka was a bad idea. She had known that and done it anyway. Now she had to face the consequences of trying to be with someone she could never love. Luckily, a certain black cat is here to help, even if he was the reason for her distress in the first place.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Past Adrien Agreste/ Kagami Tsurugi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 76





	Starting Anew

The cold air was a blessing in comparison to the stuffy room that Ladybug had just fled from. She knew that she shouldn’t have ran like that. She shouldn’t have left Luka there, lips puckered and waiting, but she had panicked.

Why oh why had she agreed to date him? She knew that it wouldn’t last long and that it would only end in heartbreak. She knew that! Especially after New York….

Yet, a few days after New York, when Adrien and Kagami announced their official status to the group, Marinette had accepted Luka’s offer. And everything had been great! She really did like him, she wouldn’t have accepted his offer if she hadn’t thought she would fall for him easily. He was kind and could always sense how she was feeling. She had thought that with a little bit of time, she could’ve learned to love him.

But things had changed. Right when she thought she was falling hard, her world had turned upside down.

“Are you okay?” Chat Noir asked, joining her on the roof.

“Isn’t it obvious?” She chuckled bitterly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He came to sit down beside her.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t kissed before. They had been dating for months, of course they had kissed! But tonight, as he had leaned in to kiss her, she had seen Adrien talking to Kagami and Chloe out of the corner of her eye, and just ran.

She had ran away from the hotel, where Chloe’s annual New Year’s party was hosted. Away from her dead-end relationship with Luka. Away from her problems. Away from her partner, whose identity was compromised not a week earlier.

Adrien was Chat Noir. The girl she had been friend-zoned over was herself. The person she had been rejecting was the boy she had loved.

What a cruel, cruel reality.

If only she had given Chat Noir a chance.

If only she had allowed them to reveal themselves as soon as she became Guardian.

If only they hadn’t been too late.

“Not really.” Ladybug shrugged.

“All couples fight. I’m sure you two will snap back in no time.”

Ladybug shook her head.

He didn’t get it! How could he? Even if he and Kagami weren’t together anymore, he still wasn’t in love with her! He had successfully moved on, unlike her.

He didn’t realize that the reason why she couldn’t kiss Luka was him. That knowing that Adrien was Chat Noir lit the flame that she had carried for him yet again. That she loved him, whole-heartedly and no matter how much she wished it, Luka just couldn’t replace Adrien.

“What do you mean no? You’ve liked Luka for forever. I’m sure that whatever reason you’ll have for running he’ll understand.”

“Oh he’ll understand. Because that’s just the type of person he is. Intuitive and kind and absolutely wonderful!” She exclaimed bitterly.

“It, uh, doesn’t sound like it.”

Ladybug let out an exhausted sigh and put her arms around her knees, curling in on herself.

“He has been treating you well, right?” Chat asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

“What?” Ladybug whirled her head around to see his green eyes wary. “Of course he has! That’s exactly the problem!”

“Why?” He asked, tilting his head in a way that was just so cute.

“Because….” She trailed off.

“Because?” Chat prompted.

“It’s complicated.”

“So uncomplicate it. You said he’d understand whatever you’re upset about. Simply explain that to him and you two would be golden!”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Can you tell me about it? I want to help you, but I can’t do that if I don’t know the whole story.”

God, he was so sweet. It made her heart hurt. No matter what she did, her feelings would always be unrequited. And she nearly had a chance too! They were so close to becoming something more and then she just had to go and screw it up.

Now she’s screwed it up with Luka too. As soon as she was ready, she’d transform back into Marinette, hunt him down, apologize, and then break it off with him. It wouldn’t be fair to continue this when she knew that her heart would always be the boy’s next to her.

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” She whispered.

Tonight was already terrible. She wasn’t about to make it even worse by getting rejected yet again. Some New Year’s Eve she was having.

“Would you like a hug?” He opened up his arms for her.

She moved into his embrace slowly, his arms coming around her as she burrowed her face into his shoulder. She was always so weak to his hugs, even before she knew who he was.

“It’ll be okay. You and Luka work really well with each other. Whatever it is you two will get through it and come back an even stronger couple than ever.” He told her, trying to comfort her although it had the opposite effect.

She wasn’t even on his radar anymore, was she? She deserved it. After rejecting him so often, claiming to love another boy, she deserved it.

“We’re not.” She whispered.

“Yes, you are. Marinette, Luka loves you to the moon and back!” She flinched. “He’s not going to break up with you because you didn’t kiss him.”

“I’m going to.” She barely whispered, but because of her close proximity to his ears, he heard anyway.

“Wait, what? You’re breaking up with him?” Chat asked, pulling back to search her eyes. “Why?”

It would only take one word. One three letter word. One three letter word starting with “y”. A three letter word that she could never tell him, no matter how much she wanted to. It would only end in more pain for the both of them.

“Marinette,” Chat wiped away a tear. “It hurts to see you like this, princess.”

Did he really have to call her that?

Did he have any idea what he did to her?

Most likely not, he was always oblivious to her feelings. Why would he no longer be?

“I-” She started to say, but stopped herself before she could finish the sentence.

“You? Please, tell me what happened.”

“You.” She breathed it without meaning to.

“Me?”

Damn his cat-ears! She froze.

“What do you mean? Did I do something that made you want to break up with Luka?”

There was no going back. Maybe if he just rejected her now, she could get over him sooner. Maybe if he told her no, then she could still go back to Luka.

She nodded, not looking at him.

“What did I do? How can I fix it? Oh God, I’m so sorry.” He fretted.

“You gave me an umbrella.”

Because that was how this all started. With that black umbrella that he handed to her over a year ago.

“What? I don’t understand. How can I fix it?”

This blind boy.

“You can’t! You can’t fix this!” She cried. “You can’t…” Her voice broke and tears welled up in her eyes.

“Why can’t I? You and Luka were happy together! How did I ruin it with the umbrella? That was the first day we met!”

“Don’t you get it?” Ladybug all but shouted, climbing out of his arms. “I fell in love with you because of that umbrella! And just when I think I can move on from Adrien you had to go and be my partner! Who I’ve been falling for ever since Glaciator!” She got up and moved to the other side of the rooftop.

“You-.” His jaw dropped. “Me? I was the other boy?” He asked, astounded.

Ladybug nodded.

“Yep. I rejected you for you and now I’m too late and-.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who ever said you were too late?” Chat asked, grinning.

That got her attention.

She turned to look at him, her tears momentarily stopped. His eyes were wide, but hope glimmered in them. Hope that sparked up in her.

“W-well, you and Kagami-.”

“Kagami and I broke up forever ago.” He crossed the rooftop to put his hands on her shoulders.

“Well, I know that! But you still dated her to move on from me and it seemed like you succeeded.” He shook his head.

“Oh my God, Marinette, we’re such idiots! Kagami and I broke up because I realized that I had feelings for _Marinette!_ Sure, I had moved on from Ladybug, but I still loved you! Just the other side of you.”

“What?” She asked, her eyes widening and her heart fluttering.

“Yeah! Oh my gosh, Mari.” He gave her a tender look that made her legs feel weak.

“You like me?” He nodded his head.

“Yes! Of course I do! You’re amazing, Marinette.”

Her mouth fell open as all coherent thought left her.

He liked her?

He liked her!

She wasn’t too late!

“Oh my gosh.” She whispered, a grin spreading over her face as reality settled in. “I’m not too late!”

“No you’re not. We like each other!” He said, moving to hug her.

“We like each other.” She repeated grinning like a maniac.

“Oh no.” Chat muttered.

“What? What’s wrong?” All of a sudden, that smile was off her face.

“I just saw Luka on the street below. He’s probably looking for you.”

Ladybug sighed.

“I’m going to have to go and break his heart.” She said.

“It’ll be better for both of you two in the long run. Luka has his other half out there somewhere, you just weren’t his.” Ladybug nodded.

“I’ll be right back. Wait here.” He nodded.

“You know I will.”

She yo-yoed into a nearby alleyway and de-transformed back into Marinette.

“Mari!” Luka called. “Where did you-?”

“Luka!” She called, running over to him. “I’m so sorry.” She said. “You didn’t deserve to be left like that.” She apologized.

Even if she felt like she was walking from air from Chat’s confession, it ate at her heart how she left him.

“It was Adrien, wasn’t it? I saw that you saw him.” He said, giving her a look like he had expected this all along.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Marinette, there’s something I never told you while we were dating.” He sighed. “I guess it was because I wanted to ignore it. Be selfish for once.” He shrugged.

“Luka…”

“I found my song a long time ago.” He started to say. “When I met you, I was immediately enamored with you. Your kindness and your bravery, it made me fall for you and I immediately started to search for your song.”

“Luka, I-.”

“Let me explain. Sometimes finding songs are tricky, other times they're easy. When it came to you and Adrien, your song was as clear as day. The song that encompassed everything you were, that was a bit harder.” He let out a sigh. “Nevertheless, I searched and I searched and I found it. About a month ago, I noticed that I had your perfect song down, but…” He shook his head. “When compared with mine, we were signing different ones. Instead of harmonizing, like I had hoped, they were completely different. Ever since then I knew it was only time before Adrien stole you back.”

Marinette placed her hand on Luka’s arm.

“I really did try.”

“I know and I’m thankful for all these months that we had together.” He gave her a soft smile. “I hope he treats you right.”

“He will and there’s a perfect person for you, somewhere out there.” He hummed in agreement.

“Have a great New Year’s.”

“You too, Luka, you too.” He gave her one last smile before walking away.

Marinette turned back to where she came from feeling like a weight had just been lifted off of her shoulders.

“How’d it go?” Chat asked when she arrived back on the rooftop.

“Really well, we’re going to be just fine.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, Luka’s a great guy. I would never want to lose his friendship.”

“You know, maybe we should try and set him up with someone.”

“Maybe.” Ladybug went to sit down next to him. “But we should wait for a while. Even if he had expected it, I’m sure it still hurt.”

“He expected it?” Chat asked, surprised.

“He said something about our songs not being harmonious.”

“Oh. I wonder if we could ask him if our songs are.” He winked.

“Later.” Ladybug told him.

“Of course! Being rejected by the great Marinette Dupain-Cheng hurts, I should know.” He winked at her.

“Oh my gosh, Adrien.” She shoved him playfully.

Whatever quip he was about to say was interrupted by a _‘boom’._

The two turned to the skyline to see the Paris night erupt into color as the fireworks launched.

“I didn’t realize it was that close to-.” Chat was cut off by Ladybug leaning forward and kissing him.

“Happy New Year, _chaton_.” She said, giggling at her gaping fish expression.

“H-happy New Year, my lady.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year everyone!


End file.
